Missouri Takes Significant Step Toward Legal Sports Betting

Sports fans in Missouri have been desperate for legal betting for quite some time, especially with neighboring Kansas having legalized it nearly two years ago. An initiative supporting legal sports betting has yet to reach a public ballot in the Show-Me state, though legislators took a significant step towards getting a measure on the November ballot.

Representatives from the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, and Kansas City Royals reportedly submitted more than 340,000 signatures to the Missouri Secretary of State in support of a public vote. Only 180,000 signatures were required, so there's clearly an appetite for the public to answer a sports betting legalization question.

Residents should know by July if the question will be put on the November ballot, though the initiative has the support of the aforementioned teams as well as the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Current, and St. Louis CITY SC.

Missouri Sports Betting Legalization Could be on November Ballot

Missouri is one of only 12 states without legal sports betting as its become increasingly popular across the country. "We are grateful for the support from Missouri’s professional sports franchises, who have been crucial in creating the opportunity for Missourians to vote directly on this issue in November," said Jack Cardetti, a spokesman for Winning for Missouri Education.

If the measure is ultimately legalized, sports betting would be taxed at 10% with the funds directly supporting the Missouri public education system.

Sports betting measures have faced difficulty in Missouri since 2022 largely due to Senator Denny Hoskins (R-21), who has successfully blocked and filibustered all bills that did not include the legalization of video lottery terminals.

It's unclear whether this measure will get through the lesiglature despite Hoskins' efforts, though we should have a clear indication within a couple of months.

For Missouri residents desperate to bet on their favorite local teams, this represents a massive win nonetheless. There's clearly a desire to at least vote on the measure. Hopefully, Missouri residents will soon get that opportunity.

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